Wrong Enough to be Right
by bookdiva
Summary: Derek asks Casey to write a love song for Sally, but not because he loves Sally. He just wants to keep his second place, because that's better than nothing. Right? Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift incorperated. Interested? You should be!
1. Love Song For Me

Evening 

Casey's POV

"I need you to write me a song, Keener," Derek said, barging into my room.

"Der-ek!" I screeched. "Have you never heard of knocking?" He just continued as if I hadn't spoken.

"See, Sally said I have to write a love song for her, or we're over." He looked me in the eyes. I gave him a look that clearly said '_And this is my problem how?_', but he just narrowed his eyes and continued, "The thing is, I can't seem to be able to do it. But I also can't break up with Sally. I mean, _come on_!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in indignation.

This should've made my blood boil—it was exactly the chauvinistic thing I would expect Derek to say—but something in his eyes stopped me.

Was that emotion? Was Derek actually (*gasp*) _afraid_ or something?

"Der?"

He just shrugged. "So, will you write the stupid song or not?"

There was a long, tense pause, and then I surprised us both.

"Sure." _Did that really come out of my mouth? No! I meant no! No, no, no!_

His eyes widened, almost as if he too didn't expect me to agree so easily, but he recovered quickly.

"Great!" he smirked. "I'll need it by tomorrow!" Then he turned around and left me standing, open-mouthed in my room.

Just when I was starting to think this _whole_ situation couldn't get _any_ worse.

"Der-ek!"

Derek's POV

"Der-ek!"

_Ah, music to my ears. _

I couldn't believe Casey agreed so easily, but I wasn't going to question it. Sure, I didn't love Sally—I was in (I still choke over the word) _love_ with someone else—but Sally was probably as close as I was ever going to get to the real thing, and I wasn't about to let that go. After all, second place is better than nothing, right?

_Right?_

Later that Night

Casey's POV

It was quiet in the house—almost eerily so. Everyone else (including Derek—_that idiot_) was sleeping, but here I was, still up and staring at a blank sheet of paper. I was up trying to write a love song for my _step_-brother's girlfriend while said _step_-brother slept soundly across the hall.

_Stupid Derek, stupid Sally, stupid song,_ I thought. _Stupid, _stupid_ Sally. _

I surprised myself with the venom of this thought. I liked Sally, didn't I? _Didn't I?_

_But, I mean, come on! She has Derek, the most amazing, talented, caring, handsome, dreamy, loving, big-hearted man a girl could ever ask for. Why the hell did she need a song? _

Then something caught my attention.

_Wait just a damn second, _I physically froze in place. _Did I just think of Derek as amazing, talented, caring, dreamy, loving, and big-hearted? No, I couldn't have. Because I don't! I've made sure of it!_

Shaking my head, I focused on the paper, but I couldn't force my thoughts from my irritating _step_-brother.

As the memory of our first meeting played in my mind, I knew the first lines of the damned song.

**The way you move is like a full on rain storm**

**And I'm a house of cards**

**You're the kind of reckless that should send me running**

**But I kinda know that I won't get far**

A half-grimace/half-smile overcame my face as I remembered meeting "Ralph-who-was-actually-Derek". I'd fallen head-over-heels.

_God, I made such a fool over myself when I asked Emily if Ralph had a girlfriend. _It was kind of funny, in retrospect, but it sure wasn't at the time. As soon as I realized that Ralph was Derek and Derek was Ralph…. Well, let's just say there was a reason for the way I act around Derek. The memory of that moment of realization was inspiration for the next few lines

**And you stood there in front of me just**

**Close enough to touch**

**Close enough to hope you couldn't see**

**What I was thinking of**

I paused.

_What was I thinking of when I first met him?_

I knew if I was going to write a damn love song, it was going to be about him. I was already resigned to that fact. Maybe, by some act of God, it would be a good thing.

_Maybe this will be what I need to get over this… thing I have for him. Yeah, thing. It's not… feelings… it's a thing. A thing is safer. _I almost laughed aloud at the ridiculousness of my thoughts. _Thing it is. _

So, back to the issue at hand: What was I thinking…?

I knew _exactly _what I was thinking—what I had been thinking so many times since I'd met him—because there had been tangible sparks the moment I'd met him. And just like that, I had the chorus.

**Drop everything now**

**Meet me in the pouring rain**

**Kiss me on the sidewalk**

**Take away the pain**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly**

**Whenever you smile**

**Get me with those green eyes**

**Baby as the lights go down**

**Give me something that'll haunt me **

**When you're not around**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly **

**Whenever you smile**

Writing the last line of the chorus caused me to smile. Damn, just thinking about his smile made me feel all gooey. Not his signature smirk—though that was weak-in-the-knees-worthy too—but his real, genuine smile; the kind I only see when he's playing with Marti, or—only a few times—when we stopped fighting long enough to…. And _that's _why I had to write the stupid song. These feelings—I mean this _thing_—have got to stop.

_I just wish my mind could remember that when he's around,_ I thought. I picked up my pen again.

**My mind forgets to remind me**

**You're a bad idea**

**You touch me once and it's really something**

**You find I'm even better than you **

**Imagined I would be**

_Maybe that's why I'm so scarred,_ I thought. _Maybe I know that if…. No, I'm done dwelling on the 'if'. This is stupid. _

A picture of us, covered in shampoo and sitting on the bathroom floor flooded my mind. I couldn't stop myself from answering his questions honestly that night, nor any other time he asked me anything seriously. It's strange to think that he's the person that I trust most in the world, but it's the truth.

**I'm on my guard with the rest of the world**

**But with you I know it's no good**

**I could wait patiently but**

**I really wish you would**

**Drop everything now**

**Meet me in the pouring rain**

**Kiss me on the sidewalk**

**Take away the pain**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly**

**Whenever you smile**

**Get me with those green eyes**

**Baby as the lights go down**

**Give me something that'll haunt me **

**When you're not around**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly **

**Whenever you smile**

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to be with him… kiss him…. It was a place I never allowed myself to go, and going there was a combination of scary and wonderful. So wrong, but so, so right.

**I run my fingers through your hair **

**And watch the lights go wild**

**Keep on keeping your eyes on me**

**It's just wrong enough to make it feel right**

**And meet me at the staircase **

**Won't you whisper soft and slow**

**I'm captivated by you, baby**

**Like a fireworks show**

**Drop everything now**

**Meet me in the pouring rain**

**Kiss me on the sidewalk**

**Take away the pain**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly**

**Whenever you smile**

**Get me with those green eyes**

**Baby as the lights go down**

**Give me something that'll haunt me **

**When you're not around**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly **

**Whenever you smile**

**Sparks Fly**

**Oh baby smile**

**Sparks Fly**

I smiled, and started to hum a melody. It just came to be, and humming soon turned into full-on belting it out, quietly of course. Everyone else was still sleeping.

As I sang the last line, I began to panic. Then I began to pace. There was no possible way I could give this to him. He would know the second he read it—

"Case," I whipped around to see a sleep-ruffled Derek leaning against my open door. I hadn't even heard him open it. "Is that the song?"

I felt myself tense up at his question. What the hell was I supposed to say to that?

"Uh, well I uh… I don't know. Well, what I mean to say is, um… well, it's not finished," I couldn't look at him as I said this. If he'd heard it, he would be able to tell that it was, clearly, finished. I didn't know how much he'd heard. Did he know about the… _thing_? Would he say anything if he did?

"Well, I think it's nice," he said. My head snapped up at the compliment. He couldn't know; he just couldn't.

"You do?"

Derek's POV

I woke up suddenly, having had a terrible dream, and my mouth was drier than a desert. Sighing at the inconvenience, I threw back the covers and got out of bed. As I passed Casey's room, I noticed the light peeking out from under her door, so I went over to see what she was doing.

I heard her voice coming through the door. She was working on the song I'd asked her to write.

Momentarily, guilt held me in place. She was up at three in the morning writing a song for my girlfriend while I was sleeping.

_Nice Venturi. _

Eventually, curiosity overwhelmed my guilt, and I opened the door.

"My mind forgets to remind me," she sang, "you're a bad idea. You touch me once and it's really something. You find I'm even better that you imagined I would be."

_Damn, _I thought to myself. _She has an amazing voice. _

I wanted to go to her and see what else she had, but her next words stopped my breath and held me in place.

"I'm on my guard with the rest of the world, but with you, I know it's not good. And I could wait patiently, but I really wish you would drop everything now! Meet me in the pouring rain. Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain. Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile. Get me with those green eyes, baby as the lights go down. Give me something that will haunt me when you're not around. Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile."

Her voice changed as she went into what I assumed was the bridge. And she finally choked on the last words, "Sparks fly…"

She bowed her head, then snapped it up again so quickly that I was sure she'd seen me in her doorway. She hadn't. Suddenly, she was pacing the room, muttering something under her breath that I couldn't understand.

Did she not like the song? I sure did. Though it reminded me a little of…

"Case," I said before I could actually think about what I was doing. She whipped around so fast she staggered a little. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me, and I let out a small chuckle at how cute she looked. "Is that the song?"

She visibly tensed. "Uh, well I uh… I don't know. Well, what I mean to say is, um… well, it's not finished…" she stuttered, looking down at her feet. She rocked back and forth—her unconscious, nervous habit. She _never_ stuttered, but it was three in the morning. I guess some allowance had to be made, even for Casey.

"Well, I think it's nice," I was saying before I made the conscious decision to. She looked as surprised as I felt at the comment.

"You do?" she asked warily.

"Yeah, well, uh," now I was the one stuttering awkwardly. "You should get to sleep," I finished lamely. She narrowed her eyes at me.

_Man, she's hot when she's mad at me. _

"I've been up writing a love song for you, and this is how you thank me?" she screeched. Then she looked around and lowered her voice, suddenly remembering the time. "Really, Derek? Really?" she whispered. I stepped closer to her and smirked my usual 'you're-Casey-and-you-have-no-idea-what-you-just-admitted' smirk.

"So you wrote the song for me?" I teased her, glad we were back in familiar territory. Safe.

She staggered back as if I'd struck her. "Get out Derek."

_Or maybe not familiar. Maybe not so safe. _

"Wha—what?" I barely managed to get out before she shoved me out the door.

"Out," she commanded, then slammed the door in my stunned face.

_What just happened?_

Casey's POV

"So you wrote the song for me?"

I froze.

Time seemed to stop, and his words ran through my mind about a million times in the half a second it took me to realize that I was far, far, _far_ too close to him. Feeling slightly unsteady on my feet, I staggered backward away from him.

It wasn't far enough. He needed to be farther; he needed to leave.

"Get out Derek."

He looked surprised. "Wha—what?"

I didn't stop to listen. Placing my hands on his chest, I shoved him out my door.

"Out," I repeated. Then, I quietly slammed the door on his stunned face and quickly turned the lock.

He would think I was just mad at him. There was no possible way he could guess my real reason for freaking out. He couldn't know about my… _thing_.

Slowly, I sank to the floor leaning against my door. I didn't even realize I had tears falling down my cheeks.

Now that he'd heard the song, I'd have to give it to him. And watching him sing my song to Sally—the song I'd written about, well, _us_—well…. The thought just wasn't bearable.


	2. Sleeplessness

Morning

Derek's POV

Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night, _at all._ In fact, I sat outside Casey's room and listened to her cry for about an hour. So the next morning, when I was up for breakfast with the family at 7:30, I was scowling at everything in sight. To top it all off, D-Rock was playing at Smellie Nellie's tonight, and their lead singer was beyond exhausted.

I sat down with the rest of my family to a plate of freshly made pancakes.

_Casey. Only she would go to all this trouble. I guess that means she didn't sleep either. _

Sure enough, it was Casey, and she was all bright and cheery. _Too_ bright, and _too_ cheery—even for Casey.

She walked out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of freshly cut up fruit. There were slight shadows under her eyes that no amount of make-up could hide, and her eyes were still red from crying. It went unnoticed by everyone but me as she took her seat across from me. She was in full on 'Casey' mode, but her act slipped for a moment when our eyes locked as she took her seat across from me. I don't know how long we would've stared at each other if Marti hadn't interrupted.

"Thanks for making us pancakes, Spacey," Marti said happily as she dug in. Casey visibly flinched at the nickname, but she just quietly bowed her head and ate, stating at her plate the whole time with a scarily-inane smile on her face.

"So…" I started awkwardly when I couldn't stand to look at Casey anymore and the silence was about to drive me mad. "What's everyone doing today?" To add to the effect, I took a casual sip of OJ as I surveyed the table, taking in the different reactions.

Edwin looked up at me like I'd grown another head—possibly two—and so did Lizzie. Dad didn't seem to notice, but Nora looked at me suspiciously as if to say _'What do you want?'_ Casey didn't even look up from her plate.

Only Marti, my _adorable_ little sister, smiled over at me.

"I'm going to go watch you sing, Smerek!" she exclaimed. "You're going to sing Casey's song for her!"

At this, my orange juice became painfully hard to swallow.

"Wha—what?" was all I managed to get out. Casey finally looked up from her plate and lost that scary smile. I didn't have time to cherish that fact, though, because Casey was currently starting at Marti in horror as the little girl continued.

"You asked Casey to write you a love song," she said like it was the simplest thing in the world, and she couldn't believe she had to explain it to me. "Then you're going to sing it for her at Smellie Nellie's tonight!"

"What is Marti talking about," Dad asked me with narrow eyes. Sure, now I have his full attention. Peachy.

"Derek asked me to write him a song for _Sally_," Casey cut in, looking down at her plate again. I looked down at it briefly, wondering what was so fascinating about it, when I realized that she hadn't even touched anything on it. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do. Lizzie," she said, rising, "will you please do up the dishes for me?" She didn't wait for a response before dashing out of the room, leaving her full plate and a confused family behind.

There was a collective bout of confused silence that seemed—to me, at least—to stretch on forever.

"Why didn't you tell us that your band was playing?"

_Great. _

Casey's POV

Four in the morning, and I still can't get to sleep. Ridiculous. There's nothing left to do for the song—it's too late to change it; nothing left to do for homework—not that I could focus on that anyway. The bathroom is now sparkling from floor to ceiling, and I've dusted the living room. And I _still_ can't sleep.

With a sigh, I get up from my bed and walk over to my book shelf.

_Maybe reading will take my mind of… things. _

As I rifle through my book shelf, nothing seems appropriate for my mood. I most definitely don't want to read about the perfect Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Nor do I really care for all the… complications of Emma.

_Maybe a movie…_

I reach for my favorite. The case is worn from overuse, and the title has been ripped off. But I still know what it is. As soon as I put it in, however, I take it out.

Now is so _not_ the time to watch a movie in which the step-brother ends up with his step-sister. God, how could I have even considered watching _Clueless_?

Looking over at the clock again, I realize I've wasted a half hour. It's now 4:30. The family will be up soon. Maybe I should make breakfast.

_Yes! Brilliant Casey! _

Well, I do have a good idea every once-in-a-while. Besides, Derek's never down for breakfast anyway. I can make breakfast, clean up the dishes, and get out of there without issue.

Perfect.

In need of something that would take up at least three hours, I decided to go for homemade-from-scratch pancakes. Three and a half hours and a sore arm from mixing later, the aroma of fresh pancakes filled the house. I placed then on a plate, covered them to keep then warn, and went upstairs to clean myself up.

When I looked in the mirror, I nearly cried again at what I saw. However, realizing that more crying would be counter-productive, I simply got out my make-up and started applying. Ten minutes later, I looked semi-presentable.

I went back down stairs and made up the last of the pancake batter.

I was just cutting up some fresh fruit when my mom came up the stairs. She looked startled when she saw me standing in the kitchen.

"Casey!" she exclaimed, her voice scratchy from sleep. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I decided to make pancakes," I said putting on my 'I'm-Casey-and-everything-is-always-great' smile; as if this was an everyday occurrence. "I'm just going to set the table. Would you go and get Ed, Liz, and Marti? I highly doubt Derek's up at this time." I tried not to choke over his name, and I must have been convincing, because mom didn't say anything.

"Sure," mom said, giving me a kiss on the forehead and walking out of the kitchen. I went and set the table with all the place settings. I'd never admit this if asked, but part of me was hoping that Derek might… but I stopped those thoughts in their tracks. They would get me nowhere.

I heard Lizzie and Edwin come downstairs, arguing about something to do with one of their research projects. Apparently there had been a major development last night, but I couldn't make myself actually care. I heard Marti dance down the stairs behind them.

_Show time,_ I thought to myself. I took a deep breath and put on my Casey façade. I went out and set the pancakes on the table as the three kids were sitting down.

"Help yourself," I said with a bright smile. "I'm just going to go get the fruit."

I didn't wait for a reply before I turned on my heel and glided into the kitchen. I stayed in there a moment or two longer than necessary before I was sure that I was strong enough to get on with the day.

I walked into the kitchen confident in my ability to do just that. As I sat down, however, I noticed my step-brother (and no, it WASN'T Edwin) sitting across from me. Our eyes locked, and I could hardly breathe. I felt all my feelings rush to my eyes before I could

"Thanks for making us pancakes, Spacey," Marti said happily as she dug in. That snapped me out of it, and I couldn't help but flinch at Derek's nickname for me. It hurt hearing it, as it reminded me of exactly what he thought of me, and how he would never see me as any more than his Space Case of a Step-Sister. I couldn't let on that I was feeling any of this, however, so I just smiled down at my plate and didn't say anything.

"So…" Derek started awkwardly when all of us were seated and no one was talking. I tried to ignore him, but I couldn't help how I felt at the sound of his voice. "What's everyone doing today?" He took a casual sip of OJ as his eyes shifted to every face on the table.

_Since when do you care? _I wondered.

I saw Edwin look up at him like he'd grown another head—possibly two—and so did Lizzie. George was oblivious, as always, and didn't seem to notice, but mom looked at him suspiciously as if to say _'What do you want?'_ I didn't even look up from my plate, but I couldn't help sneaking peaks at him through my eyelashes.

Only Marti answered him.

"I'm going to go watch you sing, Smerek!" she exclaimed. "You're going to sing Casey's song for her!"

Derek choked on his orange juice, and I looked up from my plate in horror.

"Wha—what?" Derek stuttered.

"You asked Casey to write you a love song," she said like it was the simplest thing in the world, and she couldn't believe she had to explain it to him. "Then you're going to sing it for her at Smellie Nellie's tonight!"

I had to fight back actual tears at Marti's words. I didn't want to wish that they were true.

"What is Marti talking about," George asked Derek, no longer in his own little world. I could tell Derek didn't know what to say, so I intervened.

"Derek asked me to write him a song for _Sally_," I said, looking down at my plate to hide my tears. Just couldn't make myself eat any of the food on my plate, nor could I stay down here anymore. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do. Lizzie," I said, rising, "will you please do up the dishes for me?" I couldn't wait for her response. All I knew was that I had to get out of there.

I ran up to my room and shut the door. I didn't bother to lock it, because I didn't want to raise suspicion. In a few minutes, I would tell mom and George that I was going to hand with Emily, but at that moment, I just wanted to collapse on my bed and cry. Since I couldn't cry, I settled for collapsing on my bed and reading my song over.

How could I let Derek sing this song to Sally?

Unfortunately, I knew the answer to that one: I couldn't let him sing the song to her. I couldn't let him have the song.

Now there was only one problem left: How was I going to tell Derek?

**The way you move is like a full on rain storm**

**And I'm a house of cards**

**You're the kind of reckless that should send me running**

**But I kinda know that I won't get far**

**And you stood there in front of me just**

**Close enough to touch**

**Close enough to hope you couldn't see**

**What I was thinking of**

**Drop everything now**

**Meet me in the pouring rain**

**Kiss me on the sidewalk**

**Take away the pain**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly**

**Whenever you smile**

**Get me with those green eyes**

**Baby as the lights go down**

**Give me something that'll haunt me **

**When you're not around**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly **

**Whenever you smile**

**My mind forgets to remind me**

**You're a bad idea**

**You touch me once and it's really something**

**You find I'm even better than you **

**Imagined I would be**

**I'm on my guard with the rest of the world**

**But with you I know it's no good**

**I could wait patiently but**

**I really wish you would**

**Drop everything now**

**Meet me in the pouring rain**

**Kiss me on the sidewalk**

**Take away the pain**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly**

**Whenever you smile**

**Get me with those green eyes**

**Baby as the lights go down**

**Give me something that'll haunt me **

**When you're not around**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly **

**Whenever you smile**

**I run my fingers through your hair **

**And watch the lights go wild**

**Keep on keeping your eyes on me**

**It's just wrong enough to make it feel right**

**And meet me at the staircase **

**Won't you whisper soft and slow**

**I'm captivated by you, baby**

**Like a fireworks show**

**Drop everything now**

**Meet me in the pouring rain**

**Kiss me on the sidewalk**

**Take away the pain**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly**

**Whenever you smile**

**Get me with those green eyes**

**Baby as the lights go down**

**Give me something that'll haunt me **

**When you're not around**

**Cause I see Sparks Fly **

**Whenever you smile**

**Sparks Fly**

**Oh baby smile**

**Sparks Fly**

I sighed as the words ran through my mind again and again. I couldn't let him sing it to Sally; my heart couldn't handle that. I would just have to find a solution. I picked up my pen and paper, dead set on writing another song.


End file.
